teasdam

yeah, I pm'd northwet but didn't get a response so I was hoping to find another source. I don't know anyone (including myself) with a soldering iron or skills. So does this mean everyone agrees its the clock, not the wiring?

I think the dash clock in my '92 loyale keeps time, but the display is so dim it's unreadable. The wiring diagram in my Chilton doesn't match the car...so I'm not sure if it's my clock, or something before it. I think it's the clock because I can get the display to light up by pressing the time set buttons, but it dims again as soon as I let go. Different models seem to have slightly different wire colors and connectors, but here's the wiring situation... "Batt" is always hot "Acc" hot when key @ ACC or ON "Ground" is ground "Lamp" is only hot when key is ON and lights are on, otherwise dead If this all sounds correct, then it must be the clock. I've tried two other clocks from the salvage yard and they did the exact same thing. Is there some place to get either a new, or at least guaranteed used, dash clock?

I've procured a radio harness from an '01 Outback (LL Bean), and was hoping someone could help me ID these harness wires so I can wire it in my loyale. I really only need to know 7 of these wires for the loyale (batt power, acc power, left spkr [2], right spkr [2], and ground) 8 of the wires are twisted in pairs... RY/WB G/BrW LY/RW WR/RB remaining single wires are... BW YG B (heavier gauge) G purple LR Greatly appreciate someone telling me which of these harness wires match the 7 I need!

How do I remove the antenna from a '92 loyale with auto shoulder belts? There appears to be a plastic cover or something, in line with the antenna, behind the belt rail...is it covering a bolt? Do I have to drop the belt rail assembly before I can remove the antenna? (Chilton isn't much help with this one) Why can't anything just be simple?!

I'll just pull the whole antenna out and take a good look... as far as grounding....do you want the antenna grounded, or is that a bad thing?

I was having this issue with a JVC deck that came with my '92 loyale where the FM reception would gradually fade until I smacked the radio, and then it was good again for a minute before fading again. I figured it must be a deck issue since smacking the radio probably wouldn't fix an antenna issue. However I finally got a new deck, but the problem remains. What would cause this gradual signal loss? Does the antenna jack need to be replaced? I inspected the antenna cable and saw no signs of damage.

this is a 1990 4wd loyale... I've got all the nuts and bolts off that hold the front strut assemblys to the body and steering knuckles, but they won't come out of the knuckle. I can spin the strut assembly in the knuckle...but it won't friggin come out! I've tried to pry the knuckle open a bit where that bolt sucks it all together, but no dice. What's the trick here?

Cool...thanks Shawn!

I'm planning to pull the struts off my '90 and put them on the '92 - both 4wd wagons... 1. Does anyone foresee any issues with design differences between these years? Completely interchangeable? 2. Do I need a spring compressor if I just want to swap the strut assemblies intact? (I always thought you did, but looks like you only need that if you want to remove the struts themselves from the assembly, right?)

Autozone here carries Mobil filters (which cost something like $11 a piece) but I've never found them for my '03 outback 4-cyl. I'm still using OEM...besides my dealership is always sending me buy 2, get the 3rd free coupons. (edit: Oh...I just got what you said nipper...yeah, it'd be nice to know where those Mobil 1 filters are coming from and see if you're just paying for the name.) Along these lines...I also changed the diff fluid on both ends with Mobil 1 and it increased fuel economy by 2-3 mpg. It doesn't take long to get your money back on the investment at $3/gallon for gas.

how do you use the slide hammer? somehow you have to grab the inside edge of the pin.

I posted about 3 months ago asking about engine noise. It started making a god awful clanging racket but without any noticable effect on performance. There were a few suggestions but they didn't pan out. So, in case anyone was wondering...turns out the bearing assembly on the belt idler pulley disintegrated. BBs bounced around the garage as soon as I removed the timing belt cover. The pulley gear was left to bang against the middle bolt. The timing belt still did it's job though so the engine still ran OK. Are you supposed to grease these pulleys or something to prevent this?

mmm, good bookmark...probably would've helped before :-\ thinking I might just pop that crankcase open and take a look at what I did. Or at least move the pistons to the correct sides. The problem I had last time was that I didn't have the tool to remove the wrist pin and don't have the means to fabricate one. I gave it to the machinist to have the pins removed and he returned a box of pins, pistons, and rods with no idea of where they came from. Sure would be nice to do it myself this time...anyone know where a guy can get one of those tools for a reasonable price? Or anyone sells homemade versions here?

what's a ring land? I replaced the PCV. Speaking of which...the oil filler cap would rattle loudly as the engine vibrated. I turned the cap back just enough that the two flanges pulled it tight against the tube. This kept the cap from rattling but also in effect sealed the tube shut. Once this happened, I had all sorts of crud blowing up into the PCV and breather tubes. I had to clean them out and loosen the filler cap again. Just too much pressure inside the crankcase.

good times! thanks for the replies thus far... the cylinders were honed and new rings were installed during the rebuild. However, I've had a serious problem with blowby since then and burned a lot of oil (maybe a quart every 500 miles.) I figure I could only have done two things wrong...either put the cylinders in the wrong holes or installed the rings incorrectly. Could the offset to which you refer cause this problem? And is there a wrong way to install rings? I followed the instructions that came with them. Granted, those instructions were probably written by some guy in Bangladesh...what are some common mistakes for rings? (If i remember, the thicker oil ring went in the bottom groove, and the wavy ring in the top groove with the thinner compression ring on top of that.)

doh! that's not good to hear.... anyone know a good place to get oversize pistons for a resonable price? Don't need any of that performance racing stuff tho

Does it matter which pistons go in which cylinders? I noticed the letters "UPR" and "UPL" on a couple of the pistons...should this mean something to me?

copy that...I'll check it out, thanks

no leaking, just makes a loud whirring sound which I take to mean it's on its way out. I should probably ask though...the sound goes away when I turn the a/c on; Sometimes I turn it on just to shut it up. Does this mean anything to anyone as far as maybe just replacing a component of the compressor instead of the whole thing?

gotcha thanks.... got any tips on places to get a new compressor for a good price? online or otherwise? I went without a/c last summer...call me what you will but I don't think I can do it again!

would someone please explain how a guy deals with the a/c system? I just got a '92 loyale that will need a new a/c compressor someday. As far as I understand it, you can't recharge systems designed for the old refrigerant so you have to upgrade them. Is a/c related stuff best left to professionals are could I do this myself? I've seen the DIY recharge kits at the parts store but never noticed anything for capturing the old stuff (ya know, the ozone layer and all that) Are those available too?

so I was driving down the highway the other day with my stereo blasting and everything was normal. Once I pulled off and stpped at a red light, I thought I heard a clanging sound over the music. Come to find my engine acquired a very loud clanging sound and I have no idea what the problem is. I heard the lifters clicking when I first fired her up after the rebuild and that's not it...much louder and more "metallic"...I would described it as if you were to bang on the engine block with a frying pan. However, I didn't notice any change in performance (what there is of it) and didn't know anything was wrong until I heard the sound. I headed straight home and made the 30+ minute drive with no problems except the noise. I thought for sure the engine was going to sieze and/or fly apart, but nothing yet. The sound increases with rpm and is pretty bad at idle up to maybe 3-4k rpm, but seems to become much less noticable at higher rpm I puilled the fan belt off to see if it was coming from a pulley or something, but that had no effect. Just listening to it, the sound seems to be coming from the center of the engine (as opposed to the valvetrain area.) Pulled the plugs and checked that all pistons move as I turn the crank. What could it be? Maybe the bottom "U" part of one of the conn rods has worked loose but hasn't fallen completely off? No signs of a foreign object in any cylinders either.

what kind and size socket is needed to remove the front diff plug on a 2003 legacy outback (4cyl, AT)? Looks like a torx or star-type of some kind.

great, thanks! I may make my own version as soon as I can afford a replacement.

a while back someone posted a link to a video of some guys apparently trying to kill a older subie (GL?) by jumping it. That Adam Sandler song "POS car" was the soundtrack. Anyone remember where that was?